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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 14th, 2023

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  • My BFF had this skill: whenever they sang an Elvis tune (like “Blue Moon”) their cats would start humping. They weren’t singing it weird, maybe a little more warbly than normal. Anyway, we were in this zoo once, and I said, “I wonder if that lion would react to your Elvis songs the same way your cats do!” I was just kidding, but my BFF started singing the same way and that lion suddenly became VERY alert and stared right at us. I started wondering if a properly motivated lion could leap that gap that was keeping us separated, and what I would do if it reached us. Anyway, my point is: it depends on how you sing it.


  • Mr Auld-Thomas and his colleagues named the city Valeriana after a nearby lagoon.

    It is “hidden in plain sight”, the archaeologists say, as it is just 15 minutes hike from a major road near Xpujil where mostly Maya people now live.

    This archeologist just discovered a Maya city, and they decided to call it “Valeriana” (in the language of the conquistadors) insted of something like “Xpujil” (in the language of the people who still live there.)

    They’re not thinking big enough. They should call it “openai.com” and go for corporate sponsorship!








  • The last time I bought a Mac was like 10 years ago, at an independent computer shop that specialized in them. The person at the register insisted on getting my personal info “because Apple needed it” but I didn’t want to give it. The person at the register very slowly sauntered up to their manager, had a long discussion, and eventually they figured something out because I suddenly didn’t need to give my info. It was kind of nervewracking because I was paying cash and I was like: what if I hand it over, and they change their mind? It’s not like I could call the cops, I’m the wrong demographic.

    Anyway, whenever I thought about getting an Apple system, I remembered that experience and went with something else.


  • Compare to excavation of the Atari video game burial:

    Remnants of E.T. and other Atari games were discovered in the early hours of the excavation, as reported by Microsoft’s Larry Hryb.[48][49] A team of archaeologists was present to examine and document the Atari material unearthed by excavation machinery… Only about 1300 cartridges of the estimated 700,000 were removed from the burial, as the remaining materials were deeper than expected, which made them more difficult to access, according to Alamogordo mayor Susie Galea.[51] The cartridges found were from 59 different games, the majority of which were for the Atari 2600; six were Atari 5200 titles. Atari hardware was also excavated.[52] The burial was refilled following this event.


  • If you look at the meaning of the word “early” there are several senses.

    • One sense is “At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.” e.g. if someone suffered an “early death.” Another sense of the word is “Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time.” e.g. “you arrived early today!” You’re right that in these two senses of the word, “early voting” sounds weird.
    • But there’s another sense of the word early: “Near the start or beginning.” e.g. “Shakespeare’s early works”. There’s also “Near the start of the day.” as in “It’s too early for this sort of thing. I’m not awake yet.” Another sense is “Having begun to occur; in its early stages.” e.g. “an early cancer”. In these senses of the word, “early voting” sounds a lot better.
    • For more info see: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/early